Babes Brunch- Celebrating the Success of Women

Babes Brunch- Celebrating the Success of Women in Portland, Oregon 

Babes Brunch is created by Mae and Co Creative 

Letting your local wedding community know you're offering wedding consulting services along with your party styling means networking and telling every one you meet how EXCITED you are about the services you're offering.  When the Babes Brunch came up, I had to go!

Held at The Evergreen in SE Portland, an event space with circular windows to let the light stream in, beautiful brick walls above and white wood paneling below make this space versatile for any wedding theme.  Maple flooring adds a touch of warmth.  There's a mezzanine above with a staircase leading down to the event space for couples wanting to make a grand entrance, a place to get ready for the wedding or a cozy space for guests to relax from the partying below. The space doesn't feel big, it feels intimate, even though it can host 445 people on the main floor.

The theme for this Babes Brunch was day light disco. I can get down with that. I've never been a night owl. And I had the perfect dress for it that I picked up at Target a few years back on sale. I KNEW there would be an occasion for that dress.  If you've been a fan of Fizzy Party for awhile, you know I love to dress the party theme. If you hire me as your wedding consultant and want me there on the day of your wedding, I'll totally dress your wedding theme.

Blueberry Scones

Blueberry Scones Brunch 

Everything's coming up blueberries here at Fizzy Party.  I've been baking every week.  For the 4th of July week I made Red, White and Blueberry cupcakes,   the following week was our annual family reunion where I made Bacon, Blueberry Pancake cupcakes to bring and share.  I still had blueberries left over and thought, I'll make scones.  I could just eat the blueberries but I only like them IN things. Their flavor changes once you bake them and they taste better.

So I called a friend and asked if she was free Saturday morning to visit the new kitties we just adopted and to enjoy a brunch of blueberry scones and some bacon.  Friendship is super important and too often life gets busy and we say we'll get together some time and it never happens or months go by before we even talk to our friends. So I was happy my friend was available on short notice.

When my friend arrived at my house she said she woke up craving bacon and than she remembered I said I was serving bacon along with the scones and that made her happy.  :)  We enjoyed a tasty brunch, enjoyed each others company and had fun watching the kitties play. It was a great afternoon. One I highly encourage you to try.

The scone recipe I used is from Baked by Nature.   Her recipe is for strawberry scones with lemon glaze and I just replaced the strawberries with blueberries.  I like her recipe because it's simple and tasty.  Every time I make these scones for brunch's my friends love them and want to take any that are left over home with them.

  I keep  reading every where how friendships are dying and how lonely people are now compared to years past.  I highly encourage you to host a brunch and enjoy an afternoon with your girlfriends.  

St. Paddy's Day Brunch

I don't know what it is about St. Paddy's Day that makes me like to add a twist to it.  One of my fav's was my Irish Elk party.   This year I added succulents to the mix.  I also went a lot more casual for the table set up than I usually do.  Why? Because it's more fun to be in the moment with your friends than stressing about everything having to be perfect.

This year I'm shifting my focus a little and diving deeper with my posts to help you throw more mini parties at your house.  Giving tips, ways to keep the stress down, and becoming your top destination for strengthening the bonds with your friends through mini parties.

I have gotten SO much use out of that gold sequin table linen.  It's fabric from Joann's.  I absolutely love fabric but can not sew.  Sewing machines have it out for me.  I could have bought an actual  sequin table linen but it was less expensive to buy the fabric at Joann's on a  coupon.  So if you see some fabric you love, especially at Joann's, wait for a coupon and buy it then.

Ok, let's break this table down.  Is it picture perfect? Oh heck no.  Is it real and authentic? 100% yes.  To make this table picture perfect I would have to place the food in matching serving pieces and snapped all the photo's before the guests came over.  By then, the food would have been cold and I'd have to re-heat it. No biggie right?  Sure, except it adds a layer of stress trying to time it just right. No one likes a stressed host.   All the serving utensils should be out of the photo too.  But this picture is real life.

Mylar balloons.  I'm loving the mylar balloons because you don't have to take them to the store to get helium in them. One less trip to make. Unless you want them to float, then you'll need to go to the store.  But if you're going to use them for a backdrop or attach them to a table, wall etc you can just blow them up with the little stick they come with.  You might have noticed that the U is a little flat looking.  I think it had a small hole because it was full and plump until about 10 minutes before the guests arrived. Than it started going a little flat. I did not have time to run to the store and get new balloons before my guests arrived just so the U wouldn't look a little deflated. Do you think the guests even noticed?  Nope. So if this happens at your party don't even stress about it. And certainly don't point it out to your guests. You want your guests to focus on the fun, not the flaws.

You'll also notice the red wall behind the backdrop.  Here's the thing, unless I want to move my couch to the middle of the living room during the party, we don't have a white wall like you see on all the party sites.  We love color.  My point is, work with what you have. Your house doesn't have to be picture perfect to host a party.

These scones are delicious!  I serve them at a lot of my brunches because they are delicious and I never have left-overs.  The recipe is from Baker by Nature but I of course tweak it.  I add WAY more berries than the recipe calls for.  It makes the scones moist and you get a berry in every bite. One of my guests wanted the recipe and she made it for a birthday party and added a whole carton. She said everyone loved them.  If you make these scones leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

I had asked Sprinklemade to create some succulents on macarons for me and they turned out so cute! Strawberry filled to match the strawberry scones.  Instead of filling the pots with gold I filled them with succulents from my yard. Party tip- Use storage boxes to add height to your party table.  These boxes are frequently on sale at craft stores and they come in a variety of colors, patterns and glitter.  I have several and fill them with craft supplies.

I hope you enjoyed delving into the party a little deeper.  I'd love to hear your thoughts. Your comments help me make improvements. :)

Easy Easter Brunch

Throwing an Easter brunch doesn't have to be time consuming, stressful and expensive.  Mom's may be busy but they still like to have fun with their girlfriends.  I'm here to show you just how easy and inexpensive a fun Easter brunch can be.

Step one: Decor.  Pick up a decor pack at your local craft store.  Craft stores are now selling decor packs like the one featured here that includes paper fans, honeycombs balls, paper lanterns and garlands.  These  decor packs cost around $10 and give a lot of color, texture and variety.

Step two: Food. The good thing about brunch is the food is easy.  Very little to no cooking involved.  You can keep it simple with fruit and croissants you pick up at your local bakery or grocery store. Or you can go bigger and cook up some bacon, eggs, make a quiche and more. You can even ask your friends to bring something to contribute.

Fruit is always something that my friends love to see at my brunch's and I never have left-overs.

Croissants and other bakery goods are perfect for brunch's.  It's a great opportunity to try out a local bakery you've always wanted to try.  There's no real prep involved. Just take it out of the bag and plate it.

Step three: Dessert.  While you're at the bakery pick up some macarons, cookies or mini cakes.  Your friends aren't going to care that you didn't bake dessert.  They're coming over to brunch to see you and have a great time catching up.  I picked up these macarons from Sprinkle Made PDX.

I like to dress up my desserts by placing them on top of sprinkles or Candyfetti.

Step four: Drinks. I like to have a variety available.  Both non-alcoholic and alcoholic.  Champagne, mimosas, pink lemonade, tea to name a few.

Hopefully it's a sunny day so you can host your brunch outdoors.

I like to send my guests home with party favors. A little thank you for coming. Since this was an Easter brunch I picked up some inexpensive plastic eggs, filled them with lip glosses, bunny ring pops and nail polishes. Then I hid the eggs in my flower pots.

For this Easter brunch I used a table linen, cake plate, serving pieces and glasses I already owned.   The items I bought were party decor, food, drinks, paper plates, (you could use your own to save money), plastic eggs and small favors.  By only inviting 3 friends over I kept the cost down and ended up spending about $35.

If you throw an Easter brunch I'd love to hear about it. Leave me a comment and let me know.
And if you have any Easter brunch questions ask below in the comments and I'll answer your question.

Shop this party:
Styling and photography by Fizzy Party
Decor: Michaels 
Table linen: Joanns 
Bunny cake plate and white serving tray: Homegoods
Egg cups: World Market 
Candyfetti: Sweets Indeed
Macarons: Sprinkle Made PDX
Plastic eggs and favors: Target 

Galentine's Day Brunch

Galentine's Day Brunch 

If you're a morning person like me, brunch is great for a Galentine's Day Celebration.   I usually start the party at 11:30 a.m.   When my friend showed up at the party this year she said, I am so glad you have your parties at 11:30 a.m., I get to sleep in, come over and spend a great time with friends and still have time to get errands done or attend an evening event.  YAY! comments like that make a host feel pretty darn good. 

This year's theme was XOXO.  I saw this gold XOXO at Hobby Lobby and the party started forming in my head.  Pink and gold are the main colours with touches of red.  I'm loving the pink with the gold. How about you?

I love serving brunch for a few reasons.

1. People love breakfast foods. 
2.  The food is easy to prepare.
3. Breakfast foods are my favorite foods. And I'm a picky eater. 

Oh how I love croissants.  So I pick up mini ones from the store.   I could try and make them but it's just so much easier to pick up at a store or local bakery.

I may not make the croissants but I do make the strawberry scones.   I make them into heart shapes by cutting out the scones with a heart shaped cookie cutter.  The heart shape of these turned out WAY better then the last time I made them into heart shapes.   I use Baker by Nature's recipe.   When you make the dough the scent of lemon from the zest smells so fresh and you get a hint of that taste in each bite. My friends like these scones so much they're always happy to take some home.

Along with the mini croissants and scones, I also made a crustless quiche and served fresh fruit.  It's not berry season in February in Oregon so I wasn't sure how these would taste but oh my my.  These berries were bursting with flavor.

You didn't think I was not going to have dessert did you?  No party of mine is complete without dessert.  These Jelly Belly Valentine Jewel Mix didn't last long.  In fact as soon as my friend saw them she grabbed a handful.  Dessert before brunch?  I'm down with that.  This mix is sooo tasty. The combination of bubble gum, cream soda and very cherry is, well, it's hard to stop eating them, that's what it is.

Classic vanilla cupcakes got Valentine'd up with gold flecked heart toppers from Wilton and Candyfetti from Sweets Indeed.  Why am I telling you where I got everything from?  In case you want it for your party you'll know where to get it.

I hope this party inspired you to host a Galentine's Day brunch.  Be sure to come back to see the cookie decorating portion of this party.  My guests and I had way too much fun and you don't want to miss it.

Shop this party:
Styling, concept and photography by: Fizzy Party
Red backdrop: Oriental Trading 
Gold sequin table linen: Joann
Gold XOXO : Hobby Lobby 
Pink glitter candle and xoxo sticker: Target 
Felt ball garland: Mailbox Happiness 
Red glitter hearts, gold glitter box, clear containers holding jelly beans: Michaels
White and red cake plates: World Market
Jelly Beans: Jelly Belly 
Gold flecked heart cupcake toppers: Wilton
Candyfetti: Sweets Indeed 

Holiday Clothes Swap Party

This post is part of the Evite Influencer Program. #Evite #PartyontheFly #LifesbetterTogether #BeThere #Ad #PaidPost   Party concept is my own, opinions are all my own and as always, honest.

 I love hosting a Christmas party and almost every year I host a themed Christmas open house.  This year I didn't seem to get it together to host one so I was just going to skip it.  Then Evite® sent me a message and challenged me to throw a party on the fly for $100.  Ha! No problem.  The bigger challenge was, would any of my friends be free to come over.  December is such a busy time of year for everyone.  I sent out this fun Santa Evite® and sure enough most of my friends couldn't come. They were out of town, had kids birthday parties to go too or had to help their kids sell trees for their local club.  Luckily, 3 of my friends were available. Woo Hoo!!

The theme of this party was a twist off of the Naked Lady Party.  What's a Naked Lady Party?  Yeah, my friends asked me that too.  It's where friends bring over clothes, bags, shoes etc they no longer want to wear but are still in good condition.  All the items are placed on a table or on racks and the guests go through the items and take home new to them items that they like.

Instead of everyday clothes to swap like at a Naked Lady Party, friends were told to bring holiday clothes, socks, jewelry etc. My friends loved the idea and I know all my friends who couldn't make it are going to be bummed they couldn't come.

Keeping with the invitations Santa breakfast theme I held this party at the brunching hour, 11:30 a.m. and served up a crustless mushroom spinach quiche, baby croissants, turkey bacon and cranberry juice and egg nog.  I love brunch parties because everyone loves breakfast foods and guests still have most of the day to get errands, housework etc done.  Plus serving brunch keeps cost down.  Breakfast foods are less expensive then lunch or dinner.  I spent $30 on food, including candy.

 Friends placed their clothes, socks and jewelry on the table when they arrived so everyone could see what was available before the trading began.  T-shirts, PJ bottoms and more were up for exchange. Keep the table decor simple because it will be full of clothes.  Just bring out holiday items you already own. This saves you money.

Holiday photo prop head bands were very popular as was jewelry.

Holiday socks were a big hit too.  Everyone went home with new to them socks because they were the most item brought.

Going through all the clothes that were brought and trying them on calls for snacks.  Luckily Santa brought some. Store bought holiday candy is cheap. Again, saving you money.

We were having so much fun going through all the clothes we almost forgot to take some photos.  Here's a party tip that will save you money and is so easy to do.  For a photo backdrop I like to use wrapping paper. Yes, wrapping paper.  It's inexpensive, easy to put up and can match any party theme.  If I didn't tell you you'd probably never know that was wrapping paper we were standing in front of.  I spent $3 for a roll that I used for the backdrop and on the table.

In case guests forget to take photos at the party it's easy to share them now with the new Evite® Private Sharing Feed.  It's your own personal photo album of the party.  Your guests can like and comment on the photo's you upload.  You could even share some teasers before the party to get guests excited to come.

After the party it's super easy to send out a Thank You to your guests along with a few photos of the party.  All the guests emails are already in your Evite® and you can even personalize each guests thank you.

This post is in collaboration with Evite® and the Evite® Influencer Program.  I was compensated for this post but all opinions, party themes, and party ideas are 100% my own and totally honest. #Evite #BeThere #Partyonthefly